Chief Stipe

Stewards to probe Annabel Neasham over escaped horses The horse at the train station. Picture: Transport NSW By Jett Hatton 11:58pm • 10 April 2024 13 Comments A horse trained by Annabel Neasham was the runaway caught on CCTV footage at Warwick Farm station as a train approached the platform. Racing NSW chief steward confirmed the incident happened last Friday night after one of Neasham's stable complexes was broken into. "We've spoken to Annabel Neasham and she explained to us that on Friday evening an unknown person gained access to one of her stable blocks," Railton said. "Four horses were released by the individual. Three registered racehorses and a stable pony. "Three of those horses remained nearby to the stable complex while the horse depicted in video released on social media platforms went in a different direction. "Neasham and her staff caught the horse in the car park of the train station, and she's advised stewards she wasn't aware until she saw the footage that the horse had walked onto the platform." Railton said the incident, while concerning that a stable block was broken into, presented no integrity concerns relating to races run in recent days. "From an integrity point of view, it's been established that no horse in that stable block was entered to race subsequent to the event," he said. "We're satisfied there's been no compromise to any races held since last Friday." On Wednesday evening, however, stewards confirmed there would be a formal inquiry into the incident. “Ms Neasham will be formally interviewed by the Stewards at a time to be fixed regarding the incident,” a Racing NSW statement said. Speaking on Sydney radio station 2GB, Sydney trains boss Matt Longland couldn't believe what had occurred after receiving the phone call from police. "It was just before midnight on Friday night, we had a report at the rock of a passenger that was horsing around and it was actually a racehorse, would you believe it," Longland said. "We received a call from the police, who were aware an animal had got loose, and it was a fit looking horse actually. "It had got loose and it made its way to the train station. "The train pulled into the station and didn't open the doors. It waited for the trainer actually catch up with the horse and I think they restrained it."

Residual value in $10m Winx filly www.racing.com Regardless of what she does on the racetrack, it's not unreasonable to think that Winx's Pierro filly could comfortably recoup Debbie Kepitis' $10 million investment as a broodmare, Inglis' CEO of Bloodstock Sebastian Hutch believes. While Kepitis hasn't made a habit of selling the stock she breeds, Hutch said the filly has obvious residual value should the passionate breeder and owner choose to sell any of her offspring in the future. Hutch pointed to Widden Stud's pin-up broodmare Solar Charged as a case study for the value of an elite commercial mare. Purchased by Widden Stud for $650,000 in 2014, the Smart Missile mare has produced 10 foals to date, including eight yearlings who have netted a combined $9.45m in sales revenue. Oakleigh Plate winner Booker is another who has quickly shot to prominence, with her two publicly offered yearlings selling for a combined $5.5m. "You only have to look at how lucrative the yearling market is," Hutch said. "If the stock is of an appropriate quality and appeals to the right people, then there is going be significant demand for them if they were ever to appear for sale. "If you go through the sales history of some of the elite commercial mares in this country over the last 10 years, you'd see mares that have bred stock of an eyewatering value and do it consistently year after year. "There are just some mares that churn out valuable offspring. "You look at Solar Charged, the mother of Sunlight - I haven't done the maths, but I know the last three foals have generated $3 million, $2.6 million and $850,000, which is $6.45 million across only three yearlings. "It can be done." Hutch said first and foremost, Kepitis' aim will be to chase racetrack success with the filly and, while she may never reach her mother's lofty benchmark, any victories or black-type success will enhance her appeal at stud. He said the motivation for Winx's mating to Pierro was to produce a top-quality middle-distance racehorse, while Street Cry's success as a broodmare sire should enhance Kepitis' optimism that the filly can enjoy success on the track. "This filly is bred to be a racehorse - it was about trying to identify a stallion that would complement her (Winx) physically and in terms of profile and Pierro looked like the obvious horse to breed a smart horse that could be effective over distances between 1600m and 2000m like her mother was," he said. "He's made a brilliant start as a broodmare sire Pierro and then you've got Winx, who is by Street Cry, who is a one of the best broodmare sires around the world. "She's got no Danehill in her pedigree, which means she can be bred to most of the major stallions here and, if it ever happened that Debbie was tempted to breed the horse internationally, a pedigree like that is going to be complementary to most major stallions around the world. "It's exciting to think what a filly like that may achieve."

You're on fire today @Doomed. Perhaps it is all a ploy to force the sale of Avondale.

I don't think anyone wants the Ellerslie track to fail. But it is bitterly disappointing to see so much money invested and so much planning yet still we see fundamental issues arising. I hope to hell there is some science behind the customisation of the StrathAyr system implemented at Ellerslie. If there isn't then what a complete and utter stuff up.

Was fortunate enough to stay at Ted's home in Hinds as a youngster. Saw all the pictures and trophies that he had won. Probably the most successful amateur trainer ever in the sport. I remember seeing the Hokitika Cup in the trophy room. Hokitika being my home town. Would love to know the history of that Cup. I was allowed to stay up late and listen to all the stories while a lot of whiskey was drunk. Ted could tell a good yarn especially of his win drives. I recall him being a kind happy man. He gave Brian and George Hill the mare Single Girl who produced a number of good horses including Single Lord and McShane. I was very fortunate to meet a lot of the top racing people from that era and their horses!

Because there being so much sand in the top layer you need to water it. It was rated a Good 4. The irrigation didn't cause the slipping. In my opinion these aren't teething problems but fundamental issues with the way the track was built. Why do they need to fly in the StrathAyr experts from Australia if it is just teething problems? There should have been at least two abandonments of racing on the track since reopening. You'd expert more for $50m plus.

Is there a new word in there? I happened to overhear Wilcox talking about the track at some Ellerslie trials between Karaka Millions and Cup Week. I didn't feel particularly reassured by what I heard. The question is did they not do the same renovation work on the outside of the track as they did on the inside after KM? The sand is the issue fullstop. Where are you @TAB For Ever ?

Investigation underway after Ellerslie abandonment loveracing.nz An investigation is set to commence tomorrow morning (Thursday) into the abandonment of Ellerslie’s Wednesday meeting as a result of safety concerns following a slip on the venues newly installed StrathAyr track. A decision was made to abandon the mid-week meeting following senior jockey Opie Bosson’s report of his horse, The Storyteller, slipping near the crossing following race three, which the Stephen Marsh-trained gelding won. “Following race two we had concerns raised by a few of the jockeys in regards to the surface around the home turn,” Stipendiary Steward Lauren Selvakumaran said. “We convened a meeting with those jockeys and on the films it wasn’t apparent that there was any concern. At that time, they (jockeys) also agreed with that and were happy to keep riding. “Post race three, concerns were raised again. We convened a meeting with jockeys, club officials, Stewards and NZTR (New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing) representatives in which Mr Bosson outlined he slipped near the crossing, so we went and had a look at the track and identified a slip mark where Mr Bosson had stated it had happened. We also drove around to the 450m mark and observed a few marks around that area. “We weren’t satisfied with the surface being safe to continue.” Selvakumaran said the idea of moving the rail was floated, but it was decided that wasn’t feasible given the time it would take. “The rail was out 10m today which was the first time the rail has been at that position, so that may have played a part,” she said. “It was suggested a possible rail move, but we just don’t have the time for that as it would take five-plus hours, so we would run out of daylight.” Auckland Thoroughbred Racing chief executive Paul Wilcox was disappointed in the outcome and said the Club is working hard with relevant parties to rectify the issue. “Naturally we are disappointed in relation to having an abandonment. We pride ourselves on doing things right, so we let ourselves down when this happens,” Wilcox said. There were initial reports of horses slipping on Karaka Millions night in January, just the second meeting on the new surface, however, there have been no reports of such issues in subsequent meetings at the venue until Wednesday. “From what we can ascertain, it is the same issue where the grass is matted and joins the sand profile, which is causing the slipperiness. We thought we had that under control and we obviously didn’t,” Wilcox said. “All of those races subsequent to Karaka Millions night have been run without issue and all the jockeys have been happy with the surface. Today with the rail out 10m, which is ground that hasn’t been raced on, it has caused the same issue we experienced on Karaka Millions night.” The track is set to undergo further renovation over winter, however, Wilcox said the club will meet with NZTR and StrathAyr representatives on Thursday morning to discuss the issue and work out a plan to try and rectify the issue ahead of their next meeting in 10 days’ time. “After the last race meeting here (this season), which is the 25th of May, it (StrathAyr track) will get a heavy renovation and that will be focussing on removing that matting to ensure going forward that that can’t cause any issues. This time next year, it will be settled and hopefully racing perfectly,” Wilcox said. “We have had a discussion with NZTR and we have got another meeting with them in the morning to work out a plan of attack so that we can have the confidence of our jockeys, owners, trainers and punters in our surface.” NZTR chief operating officer Darin Balcombe feels for the participants affected by Wednesday’s abandonment and said the three parties will be working hard on Thursday to identify a remedy. “We had a quick catch-up late this afternoon on the abandonment. We are going to meet again tomorrow morning and we have got StrathAyr coming over from Australia,” Balcombe said. “We are going to have a look at what we can do going forward into next week and whether it is still viable to run that meeting next Saturday. “We have got to do better. We can’t have these issues coming up and we have got to make sure that we get these fixes and make sure the tracks are improving. “I am pretty gutted for the owners that would have gone to the course today and had to go home again without a race. I really feel for them. “We will work through the issues and come up with a plan going forward and we will get that out to the industry at some stage tomorrow.”

I don't know how "more racing on the surface will fix it". If it was my racecourse I'd be inclined to get someone to start growing some turf, plow into the top 300mm what has already grown and add some loam to it. Then lay the new turf on top. As for the contours and course shape unfortunately they had their chance to fix that and now it is too late.

You would have thought that they would have walked the track after race 2 instead of just watching the videos!!!

STEWARDS REPORT: After 2nd race: Following this race comment was made by some riders that their mounts were shifting in the ground. Films from Race 2 were also further reviewed with there being no apparent movement. Stewards convened a meeting with riders along with club officials and after viewing available film footage it was agreed that the meeting should continue. After race 3: Following the running of this race, a number of riders expressed concern regarding the safety of the track, in particular the footing rounding the bends near the 450 metres and near the crossing. A Track Safety Review Panel consisting of Stipendiary Stewards, Club Officials, Jockeys, and a NZTR Representative was convened. Following a track inspection and subsequent meeting with all riders, the remainder of the race meeting was abandoned due to the unsafe nature of the track.

Exactly the same conditions as Karaka Millions night except not as much money up for grabs today!

Since I posted originally about the track I learnt that there is 300mm of straight sand as the top layer. The grass was sown directly into it. When I last walked it on Sistema Stakes Day it wasn't in good condition. There was a couple of smooth lanes and a lot of very rough ones. In my opinion they've spent a lot of money rebuilding the exact same old track. It dismayed me that the didn't even fix the contours and turns because they wanted to retain the iconic look and feel of Ellerslie. Well they certainly achieved that better than they hoped!

Come on @TAB For Ever

MEETING NEWS 10 April 2024 Ellerslie Races Abandoned Races 4-7 at Ellerslie have been abandoned due to the state of the track. More information to follow.

If your horse is fit, healthy, has no pain, happy and wants to race then you don't need any psychological tricks.

Just because a top stable uses them doesn't mean it is proof. I've learnt over the years that a lot of what Trainers do is based on superstition rather than any conclusive proof/evidence. When I was a young 8 year old I got to see the fastest horse in the country in his home stable in Hinds. The horse being Wag. We had a horse stabled there as well on its way to a number of meetings in the canterbury area. Its next race was to be at Ashburton and I was given a snip of Wag's tail for good luck. We tied a few strands to our horses harness. The horse duly won and the Trainer and my father had an enormous collect off the tote. The story was written up in the Ashburton Times. From that time on every now and then in a little envelope with an old fashioned stamp on it we received a little piece of Wag's tail. It worked a few times. Bit like blinkers - they work once and then a Trainer keeps with them until the form drops off and then they try without them and often the horse wins agains. In my opinion it is to do with how the horse is trained and how it feels rather than any head gear it wears. In my opinion the more a horse can see, if it is a true competitor, the better.

MAY help. MAY help. Not exactly conclusive but then these subtleties have always escaped you.

More a horseman than you'll ever be. But then that's not hard is it.

He's riding in the Oaks next Saturday.

Thought so. But what are the advantages of not wearing them?

What Kepitis actually pays for filly www.racing.com Debbie Kepitis won't quite have to fork out an eight-figure sum when it comes to settling her account with Inglis after her purchase of Winx's $10 million yearling at Monday's Easter Yearling Sale. Kepitis was one of three part-owners of Winx during her racing career and, along with Peter Tighe and the family of the late Richard Treweeke, she retains a 33.3 per cent share of the champion mare. That one-third share is also what she owned of the Pierro filly prior to Monday's sale, in which she essentially bought out her other part-owners at a valuation of $10m. Kepitis told media on Monday that she didn't originally intend to buy the filly back when connections made the decision to catalogue her at the Easter Sale, but her bond with the youngster grew in the weeks and days leading up the electric few minutes in the Riverside Stables auction ring. Kepitis' Woppitt Bloodstock will now essentially have to part with $6.6m - two thirds of the total sale price - to complete the purchase of the filly, who will be trained by Chris Waller. It remains unclear whether Kepitis will race the filly with any other partners.

So what % improvement do blinkers offer? Asking on behalf of horse 2.